Without you
by Banana Flake
Summary: Things overwhelm Nico in her apartment. In her despair, she runs to the only other place she knew she could go.


It had been too long.

She made it to safety- although safety was no longer in the comfort of her own home.

She stood, rain drenched on the front doorstep of the large house.  
>Heated tears leaking down from her eyes, gliding down her already frozen cheeks.<p>

She couldn't hear her own sobs anymore.  
>The hard clashing of droplets behind her out on the street drowned out the sound of anything small.<br>Drowned her out, too.

She rang the doorbell.  
>This being the only alternative to her small apartment she could think of seeking refuge from.<p>

The generosity from the fat, dark clouds above never ceased.

This place shielding the only person she needed in the world.  
>Safe from this weather.<br>Still on the inside.

_Surely, it must be lonely to be the only one on the inside, too. _

Maybe it would be better for the person concealed behind the front door to not answer her call.  
><em>Maybe<em> it would just be better if the fragile shell of a person standing in front of this wall of a door would just rinse down the drain like the old autumn leaves that had long lost their vibrant properties everyone had claimed to adore a short month prior.

The front doors bolt clicked back inside it's latch, and the door swung open.  
>Casting a gentle breeze onto the small stiff being on the outside.<p>

"Nico-chan?"

There wasn't any conversation.  
>Just a soaked, down turned face at her tall, dry savior.<p>

The girl with the flowing auburn locks guided her to the bathroom.  
>Her warm, larger hand enveloping the chilled guests as she towed her along.<p>

They stood inside.  
>Although the floor was a gorgeous glossy tile display, the temperature of the porcelain squares failed to be below that of the present elder.<p>

Feeling deaf.  
>She caught the vibrations of the younger girls voice.<br>A mild thudding softly kneaded her mind with each word caught.

The knowing, helpful look in those crystallized violet irises made her feel she should try to communicate back to the taller girl.  
>She said something.<br>She _knows_ she said something.  
>But the way the warm girls face fell into a worried frown really spooked something inside the lifeless being before her.<p>

The young girl raised her hands, gesturing for Nico to lift her arms.  
>Without thought, her arms floated above her hair weakly as the girl before her removed her jumper.<p>

Taking it as a duty, so she wasn't embarrassed about undressing her senior.  
>Unbuttoning the shirt and sometimes, accidentally brushing the warmth from her hands against Nicos' cold stomach.<p>

Nico was very unwell, and she was about to become worse if she didn't get out of her soaked clothes.

Each garment Maki removed from the numb raven-haired girl slapped the ground with a unforgiving slosh.

The redhead removed Nicos underwear and in her confidence, didn't falter with looking away from the very nude and vulnerable young woman.  
>When Maki was feeling professional, she made sure to keep it to that standard.<p>

A body was a body in the medical world.

Nico spaced out when the blurred presence of her junior disappeared further into the room.  
>A muffled roar thumping against her deaf-ears, she knew the sound to be that of a tap.<p>

The taller girl returned and stood directly in front of the still third-year.  
>A heated palm held her frozen cheek, as Maki looked into Nicos dull red eyes.<br>The redheads unoccupied hand pulled the ribbons from her seniors hair, letting it all down.

The hand at her cheek was gone, and she was enveloped in a tight embrace.  
>The heat from the younger girl rehabilitating Nicos heart.<p>

Nico rested her face in the crook of the first-years neck.

Her brain managed a pleased sigh.  
>Maki smelled of flowers in bloom, the hum of bees and the sustaining rays of sunshine that fell from above.<p>

Without another thought, Maki was holding Nicos hand and was slowly easing her into a warm bath.

With the obvious perception that it would take a while for her senior to defrost, she decided to sit on the edge of the bath and help bathe the troubled girl. She didn't want her senpai to drown, after all.

Ringing out a wash cloth then dousing it in the steamy water of the bath, she rubbed it over Nicos shoulders.  
>Hoping to soothe whatever mental block she had up currently.<p>

After it had probably been too long to continue rinsing her senior, she gently tapped the girl that was immersed in hot water.

"C'mon Nico-chan. Time to get you a change of clothes." Maki spoke lowly, desperate to comfort the super idol.

Nico made it out of the bath without harming herself, and the pianist wrapped a fluffy white towel around her.

The half exposed senior and the composer walked down the hall to her bedroom.  
>Opening a wardrobe and handing the quiet girl some warm, dry clothes.<p>

The redhead helped towel the third-year off before assisting her into her new set of clothes.

Bending over, stretching out the waist band of the spare pants and having Nicos hand applied to her shoulder.  
>Slowly placing her feet through both of the pant legs.<br>Makis face maybe being too close to Nicos midriff for comfort.  
>But that didn't matter.<p>

Allowing her guest to rest in her own bed, she pulled the thick sheets over the small person in her bed.

She went to make tea for the two of them, and returned to check on her peer.

She was sleeping so calmly.  
>Her chest rose and fell sweetly through Makis shirt.<br>Mouth open only a fraction, and her cheeks were flushed a healthy pink.

Figuring it was getting late, she joined the third-year in her bed.

Before drifting off, she whispered  
>"It's all going to be okay, Nico-chan."<p>

Just with her.


End file.
